Academic Freedom

ScheerPost’s Academic Freedom on Life Support Project

Archive and Reporting on the Crisis Facing Higher Education

Across the country, universities are tightening the boundaries of acceptable speech, creating a climate where dissent is quietly discouraged and self‑censorship has become routine. What once were institutions built to challenge power are now places where speaking on matters of public concern — especially outside one’s narrow academic lane — can put a career at risk.

This archive brings together ScheerPost’s reporting, interviews, and analysis on the escalating assault on academic freedom. From high‑profile retaliation cases to the everyday fear shaping campus life, these stories reveal a system under immense pressure and a public mission in jeopardy.

The stakes are clear: when faculty and students cannot speak freely, the democratic purpose of higher education collapses. Public universities, funded by taxpayers and bound by constitutional protections, are increasingly testing the limits of those obligations.

Here you’ll find our ongoing coverage, including investigations, commentary, and podcast episodes that dig into the legal, political, and cultural forces driving this crisis.

Check out our latest podcasts on this issue:

Explore the Archive

Dive into the cases, conversations, and reporting that define this moment. Your comments, tips, and case suggestions are welcome as we continue expanding this project. We know we can’t do this alone, which is why this page brings together both our original reporting and essential work from journalists and scholars around the world who are documenting this crisis.

Below you’ll find two key entry points into our coverage:

OUR ORIGINAL ARCHIVE — PODCASTS, STORIES, INTERVIEWS, AND FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS FROM PEOPLE LIVING THROUGH THE EROSION OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM:

AND OUR FULL COLLECTION OF EVERYTHING WE’VE PUBLISHED ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM — ANALYSIS, INVESTIGATIONS, AND CURATED REPORTING FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE: